The Iron Ranger who would not hunt

Aaron J. Brown is an Iron Range blogger, author, radio producer and columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune.

In honor of the 2013 Minnesota deer hunting season opener (rifles, of course), happy hunting to all those participating. I dedicate this column to all the non-hunters struggling with day-to-day conversation this time of year.

I live in northern Minnesota. I’ve lived here all my life. I don’t hunt.

Yes, I eat meat. And the reason I don’t hunt has nothing to do with a felony preventing me from owning or transporting weapons. This, after all, is the most socially acceptable reason any able bodied man between ages 11 and 97 wouldn’t be out in the woods this morning looking for deer to shoot. People here understand probation; it might even garner you some sympathy. People don’t know what to do with the guy who doesn’t hunt on purpose.

“You hunt?” it starts.

“Nope,” I say.

“Hmmf.”

This is the sound that triggers my defensiveness. There is judgment in that wordless, amorphous sound.

“Nah, I figure I can afford hamburger. No reason to tromp out in the cold.”

“Hmmf.” (A repetition of the first sound indicating this is not an acceptable answer).

“My family hunts,” I continue. “They’ve got a shack up by Cook. Three generations. I take my boys up there a few times a year to ride the trails, hang out with grandpa.”

If I’m lucky this conversation ends shortly with the understanding that I really am from here; I just don’t hunt for some reason. Maybe I’m just embarrassed about being on probation or am impaired in some way not visible from the outside. As long as I don’t mention having a newspaper column to write or anything involving the internet I still have an outside chance at begrudging social acceptance.

The 2013 Minnesota deer hunting opener is a big deal in northern Minnesota. Seen here, it even involves the military. PHOTO: MN National Guard / Creative Commons

See, it’s not just about the sport of harvesting trophies and venison from the woods. The rifle deer hunting season is a 16-day venerated cultural tradition, usually consciously veering into the realm of tractor pulls and pit parties by the second weekend.

Hunting season on the Mesabi Iron Range is 24 percent eating; 12 percent sauna; 25 percent riding ATVs; 20 percent riding trucks out to pull ATVs out of the mud; 15 percent driving bigger trucks out to pull that truck out of the same mud; 37 percent driving whatever’s left to town to buy all the parts that broke in this process; 4 percent in the outhouse; and 41 percent standing around a fire that slowly consumes wood and various things that are not wood. The remaining time is spent actually hunting deer. That amount varies. I forgot drinking. That’s in there, too.

And no, these numbers don’t add up because what is this, math class? We ain’t building a watch here. Cell phones don’t work up there. Don’t call. See you Monday. Or Tuesday. Whatever.

I once met a guy whose family still lived off the deer hunt; they ate venison year round on their working dairy farm. That’s getting to be quiet rare. Most hunters enjoy the season for the sport, the socialization and the simple act of getting away from a workaday world. A not insignificant number of hunters like the evaporation of social norms that occurs at the hunting shack. Still other men in this stoic Iron Range society deem hunting season to be the only time of year to impart any concept of value to the next generation.

In other words, you have to go to deer camp. It’s a long year of harrumphing over the Vikings, politics and weather between real conversations.

Indeed, I don’t hunt. It’s true. I could. I still don’t. I just like to observe nature and leave it alone. I don’t want to field dress a deer. When someone hands me venison jerky I’ll eat it and pretend to like it, but I just don’t care. I have a blog to maintain. Hey, someone’s got to edit this audio file on my iMac. I just … OK, fine. I’m on probation. I beat a guy up in a bar. That’s why. It’s just easier that way.

Related posts:

Comments

I have moved away to attend college I often feel homesick but deer season tops my list of thing I don’t miss. I still remember my father dragging me out of bed every morning that I didn’t have school (and even a few mornings when I did) to sit in a deer stand until my extremities turned blue and purple, waiting to see a deer I never wanted to shoot. Oh the joys of deer season. Did I mention always having to wear blaze orange just to step out the door, for fear of being shot at? It is not possible for me to feel homesick during deer season. Aaron you are not alone as a non-hunter on the range.

To be clear, deer hunting and hunting in general have deep culture roots for we northern Minnesotans, and provides opportunities for generations to bond. Hunting also encourages a love of the wilderness and in many people a desire to preserve our environment. But it’s just not for me.

Lots of people don’t hunt. My father didn’t, nor did my brothers. And my mother, witnessing a household full of rough boys growing up, and at least one gun accident that was fatal, wouldn’t have guns in the house. Nothing unusual–to my knowledge no one ever felt particularly left out.

We are a home of non-hunting Rangers. We love camping, hiting, etc, but as you said, we observe and leave it alone. When there’s great beef at the Eveleth IGA, who needs to sit in a stand until you’re frozen?

Lake Time Magazine “Best of Minnesota” Award: Best Writer & Blog

Overburden: Modern Life on the Iron Range

By Aaron Brown
A 21st century memoir of a place and a people:
(Buy now on Amazon) -- The Iron Range is a string of blue collar towns along an iron formation in northern Minnesota, many of which ... Read More →

The Great Northern Radio Show features music, comedy & stories about modern life off the beaten path: written, produced & hosted by Aaron J. Brown with a talented supporting troupe and the best Minnesota musicians and guests. Each episode of the Great Northern Radio Show is broadcast from a different small town or off-the-wall ... Read More →